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Congress Working Committee has taken a position that suits Pakistan as it has chosen to “deplore” the abrogation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and its bifurcation into two Union Territories as “unilateral, brazen and totally undemocratic”.  This amounts to questioning the Parliamentary system and casting aspersion on executive legitimacy derived from Parliament’s overwhelming mandate on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir which is linked directly to nation’s integrity and security.

After the abrogation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and bifurcation of the State into two Union territories by Parliament, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Tuesday, 6 August 2019, passed a resolution stating that the Congress party stands with the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh and to fight the BJP and its divisive and diabolical agenda with every power in its hands.

The CWC has urged the people of J&K to maintain peace and calm and reaffirmed the “consistent and stated position of the Indian National Congress” that J&K, including the areas under the illegal occupation of Pakistan and the part ceded by it to China, are integral part of the Republic of India. The integration of J&K with India is final and irrevocable.

CWC has also firmly asserted that all issues pertaining to J&K are internal matters of India and no outside interference will be tolerated.

While recognising that “J&K, including the areas under the illegal occupation of Pakistan and the part ceded by it to China, are integral part of the Republic of India”, the CWC has taken a position that suits Pakistan as it has chosen to “deplore” the abrogation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and its bifurcation into two Union Territories as “unilateral, brazen and totally undemocratic”.  This amounts to questioning the Parliamentary system and casting aspersion on executive legitimacy derived from Parliament’s overwhelming mandate on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir which is linked directly to nation’s integrity and security.

A resolution passed by the CWC says the State of Jammu and Kashmir has been “dismembered by misinterpreting the provisions of the Constitution. Every principle of Constitutional law, States’ rights, Parliamentary procedure and democratic governance was violated.”

Crediting Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhai Patel and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar for conceiving and crafting Article 370 with the assistance of N. Gopalaswamy Iyengar and V.P. Menon, the CWC has said that Article 370 is the Constitutional recognition of the terms of the Instrument of Accession between the State of Jammu & Kashmir and India.

Congress party’s stated position in Article 370 is that it should have been hounoured until it was amended, after consultation with all sections of the people, and strictly in accordance with the Constitution of India.

What the BJP government accomplished in the Rajya Sabha on 5 August and in the Lok Sabha the next day, according to the CWC has grave implications going well beyond J&K and calls into question the very idea of India being a Union of States, the CWC resolution says and goes on to underscore that “Jammu & Kashmir acceded to India as one State and no government has the power to change its status or divide it or reduce any part of it to a Union Territory”.